Sometimes I like to cook stupidly complicated things. Sometimes I like to make my life difficult by making various components of dishes that don’t actually need to be made by hand.

In other words: meet lasagna.

In order to make this as complicated as humanly possible, I decided to make the ricotta, the sauce, and the pasta.  Continue reading →

So, a confession. I refused to eat Indian food for a fairly absurd amount of time. It smells weird! The spices are unfamiliar! I’m stubborn! I got along pretty well for refusing to eat an entire subcontinent’s native food, but when I moved to San Francisco my friends decided that this could no longer stand. I helped one friend make curry, and had another patiently guide me through the menu to find things I would probably like. Sure enough, as always, they were right. Indian food is nummy! So now, as always, I’ve decided that I need to learn how to cook it! Which coincided conveniently with my Meatless May and brings us to the inaugural dinner: Saag with collards, kale and spinach!

I got this recipe from a blog called Herbivoracious, which is really good, except that the author seems to have a pressure cooker fetish. I’ve actively disliked pressure cookers since one erupted a Vesuvius of beans at my stepmother in high school and I had to clean up the resulting carnage. But, that aside, you should check out his blog! Also, he has a cookbook.

Saag with Collard Greens, Kale and Spinach
Vegetarian and gluten free
Serves 4 as part of a larger Indian dinner
15 minutes active (1 hour total) 

For the spice mixture:

• 1/4 teaspoon ground asoefetida (hing)
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg (preferably freshly grated, use a bit more if not)
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon garam masala
• 1 teaspoon black mustard seeds
• 1 inch piece fresh ginger, grated

1. Place all ingredients in a small bowl.

For the saag:

• 1 bunch kale
• 1 bunch collard greens (about 1 pound total kale and collard greens)
• 10 ounce package frozen spinach (or 1 pound fresh baby spinach, washed)
• 3 tablespoons butter or ghee
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 cup yogurt (I used full fat)

1. Strip the coarse stems from their kale and collard greens, chop them roughly, and wash them in three changes of warm water in a large bowl. Drain off the water, add the spinach, and set aside.
2. Melt the butter in a very large skillet or wok over medium heat. Add the spice mixture and stir until fragrant but not burning, about 1 minute.
3. Add the greens and 1/2 cup water. Toss with tongs, then cover. Reduce heat to medium low. Cook, tossing occasionally, until completely tender and wilted, about 45 minutes, adding a bit more water if needed.
4. Turn off the heat, remove the lid, and allow to cool slightly. Stir in the yogurt. Taste and adjust seasoning. Gently reheat, but don’t bring all the way up toward a simmer or the yogurt may break.

I also made cous cous, because…well, because it’s delicious, and I have no respect for different cultures’ culinary traditions. It worked well with this, though, the texture complimented the tender greens and the flavor didn’t overwhelm it.

One of the things I like about cooking Indian is the colors — they’re so vibrant!

This isn’t a great example, but I wanted to show off a new spice I just discovered for this recipe: asafoetida. Wikipedia doesn’t tell me how to pronounce it, but it does say that it’s native to Afghanistan, and can be used as a digestive aid, since it relieves flatulance. So, next time you’re feeling a little airy, don’t reach for the Beano, grab this instead!

I’ve had a lot of people ask me why I’m doing this, and I usually tell them it’s for three reasons: 1) to see if I can. I eat a lot of meat. At least one meal a day, and usually closer to two or three. It’s insidious. Recently I went to a Brazilian barbeque place for a friend’s birthday and afterwards found myself actually going into a meat coma. I realized later that I had gone almost an entire week without having any meat at all, and that made me think, “Well, why not do that for a month?” 

Second, I don’t actually know many meatless main dishes. I grew up in a family where dinner was one of each: meat, vegetable and starch. I know how to do lots of things with vegetables as side dishes, but aside from things like lasagna, I’m completely clueless.

Finally, I want an excuse to expand my recipe repertoire. There are a lot of cultures who eat mostly vegetarian fare, but I don’t know how to cook in any of them. Indian, the many Asian cultures, South American…I love eating it, but it’s time to learn to make it on my own. This month is largely about expanding my horizons. Along those lines, PLEASE, share! Pass along your favorite veggie recipes! Link your favorite blog! Tell me about your favorite cookbook! 

I have very few rules for this, but since I like frameworks, there are some. 

• I will have one completely vegan meal a week
• If I find myself in a restaurant that has no veggie options (unlikely in San Francisco, but I’m traveling to North Carolina for a week at the end of the month.) I can eat fish.
• Since I’m not trying to go vegan, animal products are ok. Eggs, milk, butter, cheese, etc. 

Stay tuned for my inaugural recipe later tonight or tomorrow: Saag with collard greens, kale and spinach! If you guys knew how good my kitchen smelled right now you’d be busting down my doors! 

This blog is a project in the works. Created largely to have a way to document my experiment with vegetarianism (Meatless May), it might end up being a repository of stories, rants, pictures and thoughts.

This post is a placeholder until I actually make one of the recipes for MM.

Welcome!